We can solve poverty in the UK

Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s comprehensive strategy, We can solve poverty in the UK, sets out recommendations on how all of us can act to solve poverty.

The UK should be a country where, no matter where people live, everyone has the chance of a decent and secure life. Instead, millions of people – many from working families – are struggling to meet their needs. Poverty means not being able to heat your home, pay your rent, or buy the essentials for your children. It means waking up every day facing insecurity, uncertainty, and impossible decisions about money. The constant stress it causes can overwhelm people, affecting them emotionally and depriving them of the chance to play a full part in society.

An estimated £78bn of public spending is linked to dealing with poverty and its consequences. This includes spending on healthcare, education, justice, child and adult social services.

What would it take to solve UK poverty? This is the central question that JRF has set out to answer. We all have a vital role to play, as governments, businesses and employers, service providers, investors, and as citizens. Recommendations for how all of us can act to solve poverty are set out in this strategy.